Ecopneus: 1500 ELT tons collected in Oristano

This morning Oristano’s Mayor, Guido Tendas, Oristano’s Province President, Massimiliano De Seneen, and Ecopneus’ Managing Director, Giovanni Corbetta, presented the the first results of the removal activities of about 3,000 tons piled up at the abandoned plant in via Parigi in Oristano’s industrial area.

Last June 18th, the clearing activities from the tyres storage in via Parigi (industrial area) started with the first ELT load leaving the site; this was better known as Ex Renova Tyres, owner company that, once bankrupt, has left behind 3,000 tons of End of Life Tyres and other material.

Ex Renova Tyres’ affairs have been the target of various actions of the City Administration in synergy with the Province Administration, which thanks to Ecopneus’ involvement – a non-profit Limited Company  responsible since 2011 for the management of End of Life Tyres (ELT) in Italy – has identified the solution to such criticality.

Up to now about 1,500 ELT tons were collected; F.D.G. of Collu Srl, Ecopneus’ partner company responsible for the collection operations and regularly active in ELTs collection and dispatch to recovery in Sardinia, carried out 145 missions, moving tyres to Iglesias’ treatment plant where they are transformed into material suitable for enery or material recovey. The intervention, completely charged to Ecopneus, will end by November 15th, 2012.

Most of ELTs collected from Oristano’s site will be sent to cement works for energy recovery, since their conditions, due to a long exposure to the elements, do not allow for a proper recovery. Fuel deriving from ELTs has a calorific power which is equivalent to that of pet-coke or to that of a high quality coal, thus representing a great benefit for those companies than can correctly use it.  A small fraction of ELTs coming from the site will be treated for its further material recovery.

“The start of drainage activity at Via Parigi site, few metres away from the relevant area of Santa Giusta pond, allows us to neutralize an ecological bomb that has threatened the city for long time – Mayor Guido Tendas notices -.  Tyres collection and treatment operations proceed according to programmes, clearing up a problem that created a lot of concern for environmental and sanitary risks connected”.

“The extraordinary activity at Oristano concerns ELT’s daily collection throughout Italy; this activity, started last year, is bearing very good results in terms either of overall quantities collected or of those collected in Sardinia – stated Ecopneus’ Managing Director, Giovanni Corbetta – and fulfils the strategy of an effective management of this valuable material with numerous and interesting uses.

Since September 7th, 2011, when the new ELT management system became fully operational, thanks to the partnership with treatment plants and collection and transportation companies all over the country, Ecopneus has been able to send over 220 million kg of ELT to the correct treatment, avoiding their discharge in illegal landfills or aside roads, and granting the correct energy and material recovery for public use (modified asphalts, sports surfaces, soundproofing panels, anti-trauma surfaces).

Of these quantities, 14,106 tons, equivalent to 15% of total, were collected and recovered correctly in Sardinia only. 31% comes from the Province of Cagliari, followed by Sassari, Nuoro, Olbia Tempio, Oristano, Ogliastra, Medio Campidano, and Carbonia Iglesias.